CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) — David Foster Wallace, the author best known for his 1996 novel "Infinite Jest," was found dead in his home, according to police. He was 46.
Wallace's wife found her husband had hanged himself when she returned home about 9:30 p.m. Friday, said Jackie Morales, a records clerk with the Claremont Police Department.
Wallace taught creative writing and English at nearby Pomona College.
Wallace's first novel, "The Broom of the System," gained national attention in 1987 for its ambition and offbeat humor. The New York Times said the 24-year-old author "attempts to give us a portrait, through a combination of Joycean word games, literary parody and zany picaresque adventure, of a contemporary America run amok."
Published in 1996, "Infinite Jest" cemented Wallace's reputation as a major American literary figure. The 1,000-plus-page tome, praised for its complexity and dark wit, topped many best-of lists. Time Magazine named "Infinite Jest" in its issue of the "100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005."
Wallace received a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 1997. His short fiction was published in Esquire, GQ, Harper's, The New Yorker and the Paris Review. He wrote nonfiction for a number of publications, including an essay on the U.S. Open for Tennis magazine and a profile of the director David Lynch for Premiere.
Born in Ithaca, N.Y., Wallace attended Amherst College and the University of Illinois.

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:(

Maybe this will seem silly to everyone else, but this makes me sad as hell. This guy was my favorite writer in the world, and the sheer humanity that ran through IJ seriously inspires me to be a better, more caring + attentive person everyday. I had a secret wish of seeing him read his work someday, likely after when I thought he'd publish his third novel. Looks like there won't be a third. :(

RIP DFW

Shade

09-13-2008, 11:33 PM

Further proving that geniuses are some of the most miserable people on Earth.

Thank goodness that at last check, my I.Q. was one point below genius level. :D

RIP

LG33

09-13-2008, 11:35 PM

I'm miserable and stupid. Best of both worlds!

I'll have to check out his stuff if you both think he's pretty good.

Shade

09-13-2008, 11:35 PM

Ignorance truly is bliss, my friend. :kickcan:

Hicks

09-14-2008, 01:51 AM

Ignorance truly is bliss, my friend. :kickcan:

:buddies:

SoupIsGood

09-14-2008, 08:41 AM

WTF. Wallace was scheduled to give a reading at my ****ing university this coming February. Agh. This hurts.

Shade

09-14-2008, 10:43 AM

WTF. Wallace was scheduled to give a reading at my ****ing university this coming February. Agh. This hurts.

I blame you then.

SoupIsGood

09-14-2008, 11:41 AM

Vonnegut died last year days before coming to Butler. I wonder what great fiction writer we'll kill next. ;)

Natston

09-14-2008, 12:35 PM

Ignorance truly is bliss, my friend. :kickcan:

I don't know what the heck that means, but in unrelated news... I'm kinda happy today.